


Cobbled Streets and Cotton Sheets

by ratboyrussell



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Awkward Dates, Carrots, Crying, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Late Night Conversations, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentioned Yamaguchi Tadashi, Princes & Princesses, Sad Ending, Sharing a Bed, Sneaking Out, Stars, Tsukishima Kei is Good at Feelings, farmer!Tsukishima, prince!Kageyama, shocker I know, why is carrots a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29904237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratboyrussell/pseuds/ratboyrussell
Summary: Upon unknowingly meeting the prince in a humble marketplace, Tsukishima takes a friendly liking to him. All too soon the liking isn't simply friendly and an arranged marriage looming closer forces him to confront his feelings. Though he knows nothing can be done to change the future.
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Cobbled Streets and Cotton Sheets

**Author's Note:**

> had to reupload because for some reason it wasn't showing under the relationship tag

The two walk through the cobbled streets of the near-silent marketplace. The wooden stalls long closed, with all the brightly coloured goods tucked away for the night. A few stray owners keep their shops open into the late hours of night—technically early hours of morning. But it isn't like Tsukishima is here for knickknacks and snacks. He's here solely for the reason of the boy next to him. 

Kageyama shuffles beside him, staring at the ground as though he hopes to shatter the already cracked stones that pave the road beneath their feet. His sharp shoes give off little tapping noises that echo in the wake of their mutual silence. As little as he moves his feet he still has quite the presence. 

Tsukishima's own tattered shoes leave dull slaps as his wide strides set their pace towards the destination he'd promised his companion. 

_Just come with me._

He'd said in a tone that seemed all too uninterested, considering this may be one of the most exciting moments in his life. Though he can't think about that all too much, he can't dwindle on the idea that Kageyama is right beside him, following blindly to an undisclosed location with only his trust in Tsukishima as a guide. If Tsukishima spends too long turning that over and over in his head his heart might beat a little too fast and he won't be able to do what he needs to do. 

And then it'll be too late. 

But Tsukishima can't think about _that_ either. He can't let the clock that's been ticking since the moment he met Kageyama, since the moment that Kageyama was born, reach zero. 

If Tsukishima can admit to being anything in life, it is to being a stubborn bastard. And so, long after figuring his feelings for the boy trudging along next to him, he continued to shove them aside. To pretend for as long as he could that they didn't exist. He told himself so many times he would find a wonderful woman to marry within the year, just in time for his eighteenth birthday rapidly approaching. 

It wasn't until a certain logical and freckled friend of his reminded him of the _deadline_ —also rapidly approaching—that Tsukishima pulled himself together enough to make tonight a reality. 

Kageyama is to be married to a noblewoman of a neighbouring kingdom, as a way to keep the peace. To cement an alliance. 

_But he isn't even the heir!_ Tsukishima had cried out, anger poured from him as he screamed to the walls of his empty home. He was kind enough to wait until he was alone to break down. Maybe kind wasn't the right word, maybe he was just stubborn. 

_He shouldn't need an arranged marriage if he isn't even the heir. Let his sister marry, but leave him out of it._ Tsukishima had thought on a million occasions. 

But of course, now he _isn't_ supposed to be thinking about that. The count down to Kageyama's marriage is to be placed on the back burner. This night is one for enjoyment. For firsts and hopefully, if Tsukishima plays his cards right, not lasts. 

Never before had Tsukishima snuck to Kageyama's bedroom as he'd done mere hours earlier. That was a first. It was always Kageyama who came to him. Since their fateful meeting months before at the marketplace they currently strut through. 

Tsukishima had been selling his family's produce, the sun had been sweltering, and he had been tired. 

_How much for these?_ Kageyama had asked, pointing to a bundle of carrots as though he hadn't known the name for them. In actuality, he probably didn't. 

Tsukishima had given him the price, albeit more aggressively than he'd intended. It was hot out, his rudeness could be excused. Well, that could be the case if Kageyama had been a mere commoner. At the time Tsukishima had been painfully unaware of the true status of the boy who asked so simply for carrots. 

After all, the prince seldom left the confines of the castle. Hardly anyone had the pleasure of meeting the dark haired boy who seemed so lost in front of Tsukishima's stall. Most had seen paintings, however. But the one famed and acrylic rendition of the prince at the tender age of five was a lot different from the near-adult he'd grown into.

_Could you give me directions?_ Kageyama asked, sheepishly. He'd stared at the ground in the same way he currently is, with the force of burning passion and intention to harm. There had been a slight flush on his cheeks, as though he wasn't accustomed to asking for anything. And he probably wasn't. At least not to strangers in the street. 

_To where?_ Tsukishima asked. 

_The castle._ This boy seemed to shrink into himself with embarrassment. 

_What business do you have there?_ Tsukishima, with a condescending raise of his eyebrow. He thought this boy would look downright foolish walking up to the castle with a bundle of carrots gripped in his fist. 

_Well it's none of yours. Business, that is._

At that Tsukishima chuckled. This boy was funny. He reached for a business card and a pen, then wrote the directions on the back, before forking the card over with a slight nod to his own address printed boldly on the front. 

The boy in front of him simply scowled at it, the line of his lips a tight pout as he nodded his head and stalked off. 

After that Tsukishima had felt a little stupid. Not only had he given a slight interest to this boy, but he'd been rejected as well. He might as well have spat at Tsukishima and said _I don't want your friendship._

Though, less than a day later the same boy had shown up at Tsukishima's window, late at night when the both of them should have been long asleep. 

Tsukishima does realize he's getting sidetracked. But he also realizes that it's important to look at where they came from. How the two met and the million events that followed to bring them to where they are now. The months of sneaking around at unholy hours, the months of sneaking glances and smirks, of friendly competition. 

_I bet I can toss stones better than you. I bet I can sheer sheep better than you. I bet I can beat you at chess. I bet, I bet, I bet._

The months of feelings brewing slowly inside of Tsukishima, the months of knowing that nothing could ever come of them, the months of waiting for the moment the boy he was nearly in love with to marry a random woman for the sake of his family. Months of everything staying bottled up inside of him until he decided that enough was enough and he would ask Kageyama on a single date. A first date and hopefully not a last. 

"Where are we going?" Kageyama finally asks. 

It's enough to—thankfully—pull Tsukishima from his walk down memory lane and to recall that he has to take the lead here. He's the one who orchestrated this whole thing, after all. 

"You'll see," He says ominously. A small smirk comes to his lips. 

Kageyama gives off an indignant _humph._

In a moment of confidence and probably stupidity, Tsukishima reaches out with speed and precision, and snatches Kageyama's hand in his own. It takes a moment for Kageyama to relax his fingers and curl them slightly into a grip on Tsukishima's own hand, but when he does it feels like paradise. Their hands fit so perfectly together. 

Tsukishima's rough from years of farm work, Kageyama's smooth from years of being waited on as royalty. 

And finally they arrive at the spot Tsukishima had lovingly arranged for the night. Along a dirt path ending in a small field. Here there was hardly any city light to distract from the sky and its spattering of stars laid out seemingly just for the two of them to gaze at. 

"Here. On the blanket." Because of course Tsukishima placed a blanket down, he wouldn't want his poor spoiled prince to lay in the dirt. Though it is a grassy area, the normal emerald of the blades coated in the hazy grey of the night. 

Kageyama sits himself down, momentarily unlocking his fingers from Tsukishima's. 

"Why are we here?" Kageyama asks. He doesn't look at Tsukishima, he doesn't look anywhere in particular. His gaze is foggy and unfocused as he stares off into nothingness. 

Tsukishima sighs and lays down on the blanket. He turns his gaze skywards as his back presses into the coarse wool beneath him. His hands at his side, his legs dangling off into the grass, he feels at peace. 

"I don't want you to get married." He sounds like a child, even to himself. Though he is nearly an adult he whines like a toddler. 

Kageyama sighs as well. His glare is nothing short of lethal as he says, "You know you can't do anything about it." 

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Tsukishima grumbles. This is not what he had in mind. He takes a breath to readjust, takes Kageyama's hand once again as he places it over his heart, and speaks before Kageyama has the chance to. "Why'd you accept this invitation if you're still planning on going through with it?" 

"Invitation?" Kageyama scrunches his brows in confusion. He looks down on Tsukishima, face drawn in a silent question. 

"You can't seriously be this dense," Tsukishima scoffs. "I asked you here on a date. I thought it was obvious, too." 

Kageyama is silent. All emotion drips away from his face and he's left as a blank canvas. 

Tsukishima, in another moment of stupidity, thinks to himself _A canvas I'd like to paint in a million shades of happiness._

He pushes onto his elbows in a single fluid motion, spins himself around so he faces Kageyama and leans in for a single kiss. He gives more than enough time for Kageyama to back out, more than enough for him to utter a simple stop, more than enough as a last breath ghosts across Kageyama's lips and his own breathing flows shakily into the air around them. Seeping tendrils of steam in the frigid air. 

And then, once Tsukishima has decided Kageyama has had more than enough time, he closes the distance. 

The kiss is not sloppy. Kageyama is a man of culture and refinement, after all, he is a prince, he does not drool nor slobber. Tsukishima is a man of manner and honour—much as he likes to hide it below layers of sarcasm—after all, he was raised humbly, he does not bite nor press more than he feels the need to. 

It is gentle and soft, and wholly worthy of being the two's first kiss shared between each other—and maybe in general as well, though neither would admit that. 

Tsukishima is not a greedy man, though when it comes to Kageyama's lips it's a difficult call. He knows when to pull away—however much he doesn't want to—and he does so, leaving Kageyama to blush and stutter out incoherent nothings. 

"What does this mean?" Kageyama asks, still huffing. 

Tsukishima nearly groans, but instead he lets lose a fond whisper of a chuckle. "You really are this dense, huh, King?" 

"I'm a prince," Kageyama corrects. 

"You're my king," Tsukishima mumbles nearly subconsciously. It's a title he's used in his head a million times when referring to Kageyama. _My king._ Not quite in a loyal sense, more in a possessive one. 

Kageyama just blushes a little as he scowls. 

Tsukishima can feel his own cheeks heating in turn.

"So what does it mean?" Kageyama asks again, impatience seeping into his tone as he crosses his arms. This gesture effectively pushes Tsukishima a little further backwards, and he takes it as his cue to fall back to his original position. Face skywards as he stares up at the stars. 

"It means that I like you," Tsukishima says simply, he frowns because he knows this is the part where Kageyama tells him they can't be together. Not only does Kageyama have a wife already lined up, but Tsukishima has a farm to take over. He knows all of this will end poorly, and he curses the world for allowing him to fall for the prince of all people. He curses the world for allowing the prince to show up unannounced to his house in the middle of the night, and for allowing himself to follow blindly and for allowing himself to do it a million more times. 

Through his resentment however, the true idiotic part of him that was bold enough to strut up to the castle and climb vines all the way up to Kageyama's window, the part of him that grabbed Kageyama's hand and the part of him that kissed him, tells Tsukishima to say exactly _how much_ he likes Kageyama. 

"A lot, actually," He continues before falling silent once more.

Kageyama shifts his weight around, not uttering a single word as he decides with finality to lay down next to Tsukishima. Shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand, though not interlinked. 

"I have a fiancée," Kageyama whispers. He sounds shattered to speak such simple words. Tsukishima can't help but hope he sounds that way as a result of feelings for someone else, can't help but hope that someone else is himself. 

"We can't be together," Kageyama's voice cracks. 

"I know." Tsukishima feels tears welling in his eyes. He can't bring himself to wipe them away. Why does the universe play such cruel games?

"But I feel the same," Kageyama's voice is hardly audible, nearly drowned out by the gentle rustling of wind in the tall grass surrounding them. 

A tear slips down Tsukishima's cheeks. Then another. And even more until his entire face is soaked in saltwater and he's nearly choking on his own despair. This is so much worse than if things had been one-sided. 

Kageyama lets out a choked sob. He grabs hold of Tsukishima's hand. 

Rough, soft. 

So drastically different it seems to be some divine power mocking them. A silly farm boy falling for the prince himself. Ridiculous. 

Kageyama turns on his side, facing Tsukishima. A few tears slide along his cheeks. They catch the moonlight and mirror the stars above, until it looks as though he is crying stardust. 

_Ethereal_ , Tsukishima thinks. 

Kageyama takes a minute to mull something over in his head. His lips move ever so slightly, mimicking the motions he wants to speak aloud. And then he does so, tentatively, but with purpose. 

"I want to love you. I want to spend as long as I can with you. As long as we can make it I'd like to be by your side."

Tsukishima's heart swells all too soon. 

"We both know that can't happen. But I want to keep doing this." Kageyama's voice drops to a low whisper, one soft with vulnerability, "I want tonight to go on forever." 

God, Tsukishima could _sob_. He could break down right on the spot and let himself be overcome by wracking sobs and shivers as he cries into the arms of the boy he's completely fallen for. But he can't let himself. Because tonight is supposed to be a night of firsts and crying would distract from that more than it already has. 

Tsukishima chuckles a low little laugh and brings a hand upwards to stroke at Kageyama's cheek. His tears of stardust flow down Tsukishima's fingers, and Kageyama buries his face into the hand offered. 

"Come home with me," Kageyama blurts suddenly. His dark eyes burn holes through Tsukishima's skull as the two stare each other down. "One last time." Kageyama adds. 

There's a stabbing in Tsukishima's chest. He knew things would be ending soon, knew the countdown was reaching finality, though he hadn't thought it would be so soon. 

He has to accept. This is their night of firsts, after all. Tsukishima has never been to the castle before. Kageyama has been to his simple farmhouse dozens of times before, but Tsukishima has never entered the place Kageyama calls home. 

"One last time," He agrees. Because, maybe saying it will make it hurt less. He's had so long to think about this, to remember this friendship was built on borrowed time. To know that as soon as Kageyama's wife comes along he is to be replaced. But nothing can stop the hurt those reminders bring. 

Honestly, the walk is a daze. Tsukishima follows a few steps behind Kageyama, their hands brushing at the knuckles as they walk towards the castle. It would be so easy to link their fingers together, Tsukishima thinks bitterly. Even without the threat of people seeing the prince holding hands with a commoner, there was always the threat of people seeing the prince holding hands with a common _boy._

The dazed feeling continues to turn Tsukishima's mind into a swampy wreck as he clambers up to Kageyama's balcony, into his bedroom. His chamber, or whatever it is rich people call their rooms. Because truly, the room is extravagant. Nearly as large as Tsukishima's house, and that only counts the sleeping quarters. He can see at least two doors leading off in different directions, plus the exit to the rest of the palace. 

It seems unreal, it only adds to the haze of the night. Tsukishima is standing inside the castle. 

"Here," Kageyama offers a set of expensive feelings pyjamas and Tsukishima accepts greedily. Though this greed is not born of his want for expensive clothing, no, it is born of his _need_ for souvenirs and memories of his dear prince. 

Kageyama grabs a second pair to change into himself. 

There is an awkward moment where the two blink with confusion, unsure if they are to undress in front of each other or not. Kageyama decides for the two of them as he strips his shirt off, unbuttoning it with a slight hint of a struggle and a dejected pout. 

Tsukishima chuckles as he feels heat rush to his face. Though he doesn't dare look away, not when the spectacle before him is so beautiful. Kageyama is pale from days spent indoors, monitored and protected, and though he is a bit scrawny from never having worked a day in his life, his body still manages to leave Tsukishima’s mouth vaguely agape. 

He has broad shoulders—the blades sticking out and moving swiftly as he tosses his shirt aside—which curve down to a thin waist. Dimples at the small of his back that Tsukishima aches to press his fingers into. Gorgeous legs with just the right amount of muscle. 

He tears his eyes away if only to give his hammering heart a rest, and begins to unclothe himself. His own torso is muscled and tanned from his outdoor work, and he can feel Kageyama’s gaze burning into every inch of his skin. Ghosts of touches where Tsukishima images Kageyama would like to touch him. 

“Enjoying the show?” Tsukishima teases as he tugs Kageyama’s shirt over his head. It feels soft and smells exactly like the prince. The comfort it brings makes everything hurt just a little less. 

“Whatever,” Kageyama grumbles. “Just get in the bed.” He tucks himself gently under the plush covers and watches as Tsukishima swiftly pulls on the pants supplied to him. 

“How nasty. Do you take me for a cheap toy?” Tsukishima grins like a mad man. Humour as a coping mechanism, it works quite well. 

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Kageyama says through gritted teeth. He pulls the covers aside to give Tsukishima a space to burrow into. 

Tsukishima takes one last calming breath before sitting himself in the bed. He tucks himself under the covers and sidles up to Kageyama, who accommodates him with an arm around his waist. 

“Should we...lay down?” Kageyama asks, he seems nervous. 

Tsukishima shares the feeling. This is quite a lot closer than the two have ever been before. It burns in the most pleasant way. Shoulder to shoulder, the two awkwardly slide downwards until they both stare at the ceiling. 

A collective exhale echoes through the large chamber. 

“Does this really have to be the last time?” Tsukishima asks. God, he knows it's stupid. If he knows one thing he knows it is unbelievably _stupid_ to ask that. But he needs to know if there is any possibility. “The wedding isn’t for a while. Is it? And even then we can still see each other. You’ll have more freedom. You can leave to see me whenever you want—“ He runs his mouth like it's the only thing he knows how to do. Calm and calculation put aside, he bares his desperation like fangs. Sharp. So sharp in the centre of his chest. 

“You know we can’t,” Kageyama whispers. Such an empty whisper. 

Empty. Tsukishima decides that is the right word to describe everything about the situation. His empty hope that this would still work out, his empty chest scooped dry by the reality of everything, the empty whisper of Kageyama next to him as it dawned on the both of them that things could never be the way they crave so desperately. 

There was no trying, because no matter what it could never work. 

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Kageyama says, bitterness tumbles from his mouth in an ugly manner. 

Moving shakily, Tsukishima turns to pull Kageyama to his chest, to allow him to nuzzle into the crook of his neck. The fact that the prince is so completely at his disposal brings a light smile to his face. 

It is easy to pretend things are okay when Tsukishima can hold Kageyama so close. When Kageyama can wrap his arms around Tsukishima’s torso and smile against his skin. When the two can press gentle kisses into whatever skin they have access to. 

It is easy to pretend they have their entire lives ahead of them, if only their lives could stay as intertwined as they are in the moment. 

It is easy to pretend that this happiness can stay forever, and that morning won't rip their comfort away from them. 

It is so easy, in fact, that Tsukishima does just that.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed :)


End file.
